Silver Silence

Warring Minds

August had to leave. He didn't want to; the walls of his chambers protected him from the dangers of the outside world, like awkward conversations and the horror that had crossed Siles' face a few days earlier. He didn't have much choice, however, unless he wanted his political efforts to go to waste.

August stared into the crackling fireplace, breathing in the smell of smoky wood, warm and comforting unlike the cold, damp hallways that waited outside his door. He imagined the servants looked down upon him by now. They had seen him cocooned in blankets as he played chess wordlessly with himself. He imagined his eyes were still red. They still burned when he blinked, the occasional salty drop sliding down from their corners. His hair had slicked into limp tentacles, hanging lifelessly around his face. He didn't want Siles to see him like this, but he didn't have time to do anything about it. He had to go.

August knew he was being dramatic, that his emotions were irrational and disproportionate. He hated himself for it, and for the weakness it made him feel. His previous breakups hadn't made him nearly as miserable, and they had been actual breakups. Siles hadn't even dated him in the first place.

Except Siles was the only one August could trust to trust him. Everybody else watched him with that look in their eye, that cautious curiosity and suspicion. Did they like August, or was he controlling their minds, persuading them to see beauty where reality would have seen monstrosity? It didn't matter if he told them he would never touch their thoughts. There was no way to prove that which could be erased through mind control. Of course, he could have made them trust him, but such an act would have tainted the relationship and made it ingenuine, even if only in the smallest of ways.

And now he was alone again. Siles would still stand by his side, of course, but not as a friend. August's only other chance at friendship would have been the girl whose face matched his own, but he had been too eager to confirm the truth of their kinship and he had scared her away, just like Siles.

Regardless, he had to leave. August shed his warm cocoon of blankets, shrugging a cloak over his disheveled clothes. The Council's weekly meeting was today. They would all know of August's misery by now. He had seen them slip silver into servants' hands; no news went unspoken when a servant's ears were present. If he didn't go to the meeting, they would slip new policies behind his back, erasing all of his efforts and Siles'. The Queen had ignored the Council since her interests and theirs had aligned. August could not afford to do the same.

Cold air rushed through the entry the moment August opened the door. He pulled his cloak closer and stepped into the hall, glancing to his right for Siles. Who wasn't there. Several daytime guards stood in Siles' place, each of them looking down when August glanced their way. August cleared his thraot. "Is the Royal Guard unwell?"

The guards glanced at each other, none of them willing to speak until the woman in the middle finally answered, "The Royal Guard has taken a few days of leave to examine possible unrest in the commoner towns, your highness."

August breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't love Siles' habit of running away, as it could develop into the decision to leave permanently someday. His skillset was welcome in any kingdom, even if he chose bookbinding over battle. This time, however, August was grateful for the time to piece himself back together.

The Councilmembers, on the other hand, made no attempt to give August space. They smiled when he entered the room, their smiles growing wider when his cohort of guards followed him instead of Siles. August had become painfully aware of the fact that Siles was the only reason for their respect when Siles had left the first time. In his absence, the Councilmembers made no effort to mask their hatred for him, ignoring his presence completely unless he raised his voice. He was too nervous to raise his voice without Siles there to support him.